Carriage control for printing-presses.



W. SAXON. CARRIAGE CONTROL FOR PRINTING PRESSES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 24, 1914.

1,099,940. Patented June 16, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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I w. SAXON. CARRIAGE CONTROL FOR PRINTING PRESS ES.

APPLIOATIUN-I'ILED FEB. 24, 1914.

1,099,940. Patented June 16, 19m

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM SAXON, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, AS SIGNOR TO THE MIEHL'E PRINTING PRESS & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

CARRIAGE CONTROL FOB PRINTING-PRESSES.

Patented J line 16, 1914.

Application filed February 24, 1914. Serial No. 820,464.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM SAXoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oak Park, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Carriage Control for Printing-Presses, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to printing presses and particularly to means for controlling the movement of the bed plate carriage whereby to prevent unequal wear of the parts and thus insure smoothness of operation and a prolonged period of usefulness without renewals. In this and analogous arts it is usual to interpose between the reciprocatory printing bed plate or form and the stationary machine frame a carriage supported by spaced anti-friction rolls traveling upon suitable tracks or Ways of the frame. The to, and fro movement of the bed plate or form being within certain defined limits, the repeated stoppage of the individual carriage rolls uniformly at the same points on the track has the effect in time of wearing a slight depression at each of such points and the result is that the face of the track becomes indented at in.- tervals corresponding to the spacing of the rolls thus preventing the smooth operation of the bed. By my invention I overcome these disadvantages by providing mecha-: nism whereby, while the path of movement I of the form or bed plate itself is maintained uniform, the movement of the carriage relative to the plate and track is so varied from time to time that the points of stoppage of the several rolls shift progressively to such a slight degree that the wear is practically uniform and the surface of the track is maintained smooth.

An approved embodiment of the inven tion is shown by way of illustration in the invention I avoid this result by providing accompanying drawings wherein,

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a printlng press showing 1n elevation such portions as are pertinent toa disclosure of the invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail elevation of the worm and ratchet mechanism; and Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical transverse section on the line I ing press upon which the form or bed plate 12 is mounted for reciprocatory movement within a fixed path. as is customary in this art. In order to reduce the frictionv and to facilitate the reciprocation of the bed plate upon the frame the carriage 13 is interposed between the upper face of the supporting frame 11 and the bed plate 12, a separate carriage being employed preferably upon each side of the frame and bed plate.

The construction of the carriage forms no part of the present invention and is shown as consisting generally of parallel side memhere between which vare journaled a plurality of spaced rolls 1 1 which travel upon a track 15resting upon the upper face of the frame 11. The bed plate 12 is provided upon its lower face with a wear surface or track ,IG'ivhich-bears from above upon the rolls 14. It will be understood that as the bed plate 12 moves to and fro within the limits of its path above the frame 11 the interposed carriage 13 will likewise move inv the same direction, but the rate and extent of movement will be one-half that of thebed plate 12, the contact of the carriage rolls with the frame and with the bed plate being purely a rolling contact.

The construction thus far described is old and while reasonably eflicient for the purposes intended it is open to the objection that as the carriage moves within a fixed path and reverses its movement repeatedly at the same point the movement of the carriage likewise is reversed at the same point and experience has shown that the greatest wear of the tracks takes place at points corresponding to the reversal of movement of the several rolls. The result is that at these points indentations are formed in the tracks and the carriage thereafter travels over these indentations and the smoothness of movement of the bed plate or form is disadvantageously affected. According to my 18 is adjustably mounted for slight longitudinal movement with reference to the frame 11 between the guides 19. The teeth of the second rack 18 faces upwardly in opposition to the teeth of the rack 17 and in the same vertical plane. A toothed pinion 20 is jour' naled in a bracket 21 fixed to the carriage 13 with its teeth in mesh above and below with the racks 17 and 18. The lower rack 18 is provided with an end extension 22 to which is pivoted at 23 a link 24, the other end of which is secured to a crank pin 25 eccentrically carried by a worm wheel 26 in fresh with a worm 27 journaled in the brackets 28, 28. On the worm shaft 29 is fixed a ratchet wheel 30, while a pawl arm 31 is fulcrumed on the end of said shaft and carries a pawl 32 pressed by the spring 33 into engagement withthe ratchet wheel 30. The end of the pawl arm 31 is connected at 8 1 to the lower end 85 of a bar 36 mounted for vertical reciprocation upon the pins 37, .37, within limit-s fixed by the extent of the slots 38, 88, the bar being normally held in elevated position by the spring 39 anchored on the upper pin 87 and to a stud 10 carried by the bar 36. On the upper end of the bar is mounted a roller 41 which, in the normal elevated position of the bar 36, is in the path of a t-appet a2 fixed on the carriage 13, whereby as the carriage nears the end of its path the roller is depressed and the worm and worm wheel actuated to shift the rack 18.

The operation of the invention will be readily understood. As the bed plate is positively moved to the left, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the tappet 42 will reciprocate the bar 36 and operate the pawl arm 31 thereby turning the ratchet wheel 30 and with it the worm 27 and worm wheel 26 whereby the link 24 moves the rack 18 to the left. By such movement the pinion 20 is likewise bodily moved to the left and with it the carriage 13, the extent of movement of the pinion and carriage, however, being but one-half the movement of the rack 18 as will be obvious. Upon the reverse movement of the bed plate 12 the carriage will move in the same direction and to one-half the extent and will stop at a point distant from the point at which it previously stopped corresponding to one-half the distance to which the rack 18 was shifted by its crank connection to the worm wheel 26. Upon the next reciprocation of the bed 12 the ratchet and worm wheel are further rotated by means of the pawl arm 31, and the rack 18 and the carriage 13 are again shifted bodily in the same direction. When the crank pin on the worm wheel has reached a point angularly disposed 180 degrees from the position shown in the drawing and corresponding to the position shown in Fig. 1, thereafter periodical shifting of the rack and carriage will be to the right instead of to the left until the crank pin has traveled through another 180 degrees when the shifting movement will be again reversed. It will be obvious that similar results, varying in degree, may be obtained by modifications of the mechanism herein shown, as for instance by cams, without departing from the spirit and essence of the inventioi'i, wherefore I do not wish to limit myself to the specific details of construction set forth herein by way of elucidation.

I claim:

1. The combination with a support, a carriage traveling thereon, and a load disposed on. the carriage to travel within a fixed path relative to the support, of automatically acting means to periodically shift the positio of the carriage relative to the load and support, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a support, a carriage traveling thereon, and a load disposed on the carriage to reciprocate within fixed limits relative to the support, of means to periodically and progressively shift the position of the carriage relative to the load and support whereby to vary the point of reversal. of the movement of the carriage on the support, substantially as described.

3. In a printing press, the combination 5 with a supporting frame, and a bed plate mounted to reciprocate in a fixed path thereon, of a carriage interposed between the frame and plate and including antifriction rolls, and means to periodically and progressively shift the position of the carriage relative to the plate and frame whereby to vary the point of reversal of movement of the plate, substantially as described.

41. In a printing press, the combination with a supporting frame, and a bed plate mounted to reciprocate within fixed limits thereon, of a carriage interposed between the frame and plate and including anti-friction rolls, a rack fixed upon the plate, a second rack adjustably mounted on the frame, a pinion mounted on the carriage in mesh with the two racks, and means to progressively shift the second rack on the frame, substantially as described.

5. In a printing press, the combination with a supporting frame, and a bed plate mounted to reciprocate within fixed limits thereon, of a carriage interposed between the frame and plate and including anti-friction rolls, a rack fixed upon the plate, a sec ond rack adjustably mounted on the frame, a pinion mounted on the carriage in mesh with the two racks, and means actuated by the reciprocation of the plate to periodically and progressively shift the second rack upon the frame, substantially as described.

6. In a printing press, the combination with a supporting frame, and a bed plate mounted to reciprocate within fixed limits thereon, of a reciprocatory carriage interposed between the frame and plate and in-.

cluding anti-friction rolls, a rack fixed upon the plate, a second rack adjustably mounted on the frame, a pinion mounted on the carriage and meshing with the two racks, a crank member connected to the second rack, a ratchet wheel arranged to drive the crank member, a pawl engaging the ratchet, a tappet carried by one of the reciprocatory members, and a pawl arm in the path of the tappet and carrying the pawl, substantially as described.

7. In a printing press, the combination with a supporting frame, and a bed plate mounted to reciprocate within fixed limits thereon, of a carriage interposed between the frame and plate and including antifriction rolls, a rack fixed upon the plate, a

second rack adj ustably mounted on the frame, a pinion mounted on the carriage and meshing with the two racks, a worm wheel having a crank connection with the second rack, a worm meshing with the wheel, a ratchet wheel fixed to the shaft of the worm, a pawl engaging the ratchet, a tappet mounted on the carriage, and a pawl arm arranged to be actuated by the tappet and carrying the pawl, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM SAXON.

Witnesses:

GEO. R. WHATLEY, GEO. H. PEOK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

